Wis. town to honor 100th anniversary of shipwreck

TWO RIVERS, Wis. - A fishing village in eastern Wisconsin is hosting a centennial celebration in honor of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan exactly 100 years ago.

The Rouse Simmons was carrying Christmas trees from Michigan to Illinois in 1912. It sank Nov. 23 as frigid swells crashed on its aging deck, capsizing the vessel and killing all 15 or so people on board.

A report in the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter says Capt. Herman Schuenemann was a beloved figure. For 13 years he delivered his cargo of Christmas trees from Thompson, Mich., to Chicago.

To honor the lives lost, the Rogers Street Fishing Village in Two Rivers is hosting a centennial celebration Friday and Saturday. Plans call for a musical performance and a re-enactment of ship officials distributing Christmas trees.

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